Night of remembrance to be held for murder victim this Saturday

Members of the Prism of Praise Community Gospel Choir will perform Saturday evening at Saint Peter's by the Sea church in memory of Allison Taylor, a local resident who was tragically murdered by her son in May.

NARRAGANSETT - Members from the community have planned an evening of peace and remembrance for Allison Taylor, on Saturday, Aug. 3, as a way to surround her family with love, fellowship and support.

The community gospel choir, Prism of Praise, will be performing music ministry during the love offering at Saint Peter’s by the Sea. This gospel choir is a multiracial, ethnically diverse Christian choir that was founded originally in 1991.

Prism of Praise member Katie Carlson suggested that the community gospel choir perform a love offering for Allison Taylor after she was tragically killed by the hands of her son.
Carlson said that she wanted to find a way to reach out to the Taylor family and show them that they are not alone during their time of need.

“I hope it will offer her daughters some faith in humanity that people want to reach out to them and feel for them during their loss,” said Carlson. “We want them to know that if they needed anything and wanted to reach out to us, we would help in any way that we could.”

Prism of Praise has performed ministries and benefit concerts in the past, and Carlson said that these remembrances allow friends and families to express their feelings through the music.

“I have seen how people, even with different religions, react to the music,” said Carlson. “It is inspiring and moving to see the feelings that are evoked to them through the music.”

Carlson said that the choir has received an overwhelming amount of responses from members of the community who knew Allison personally and are looking forward to reaching out to show support for the family.

The parish of Saint Peter’s by the Sea will also be attending the love offering and responded enthusiastically when Carlson requested to hold the event at their church.

“The priests and members of the parish knew Allison and were very interested in showing their support,” said Carlson. “ When I originally contacted them they were very happy because they wanted to find a way to reach out to the family since they knew Allison but didn’t know how, so it is like a full circle.”

The admission is free and the choir will be accepting donations during the remembrance that will benefit the work of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence. The family members of Allison Taylor requested that the proceeds go to the institute because of its focus on the principles and practices of non-violence.

The institute also works towards fostering a community that addresses potentially violent situations with nonviolent solutions.

“When we reached out to the daughters of Allison, they requested that the proceeds go towards the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence and they also made one more request,” said Carlson. “They want the community to understand that their brother is troubled and they do not want him to be vilified. It is a very difficult situation, but it is still their brother.”

Carlson also said that she encourages everyone to come to show their support and enjoy the music. The choir invites everyone to attend and does not want people to feel like they need to make donations if they are struggling.

The offering will begin at 6 p.m., and is opened to the public. The choir will also be having a potluck dinner directly after. Carlson said that if anyone is interested in donating to the institute or has questions about the remembrance, she can be contacted at 401-338-8525.